Purple
by Spacial Distortion
Summary: A journey throughout life for everyone's favorite blue-haired sulker. Set after the current shenanigans with the war and whatnot. Rated T just because occasional vulgar language, but it's not THAT severe.
1. What's Lacking

_Hello, and welcome to my first ever story! After reading a lot of Fairy Tail fanfics, I decided to start my own series. Perhaps if this goes well, I'll create some more stories, but for now, I'll focus on this one. I call it "Purple", and it's going to focus on my favorite pairing in Fairy Tail: Jellal and Erza. Enjoy, and of course, any and all feedback/criticism is appreciated._

* * *

"Meteor!" The cloaked figure's speed enhanced dramatically in a blink of an eye and he caught up to the target.

"What the-" With a swift thrust of his arm, Crime Sorcière's leader knocked down the criminal. Stopping to catch his breath, he heard a frustrated yell above him.

"You ain't got us yet as long as I'm still up!" The flying mage put his hands together and fired a wide red beam.

"Boss, look out! Poison Dragon's Decay Strike!" Erik leapt into the air and swung his glowing hand through the beam, dissolving it. With a grin, the Dragon Slayer continued his upwards assault and brutally slammed his fist into the enemy's stomach, utterly defeating him.

"Where are the others? I told you I would handle these two by myself," said Jellal.

Erik straightened his coat and smirked. "You're welcome, first of all. And they didn't need my help." As if to prove his point, the rest of the guild ran up to them.

"We got 'em!" said Sawyer triumphantly.

Jellal gave a satisfied smile. "Good work. That should be the entire guild. Shadow's Essence is no longer a threat to our world."

Richard, who was talking to someone on a communication device, hung up and clapped his hands. "The Rune Knights are on their way. We did it! Oh yeah! The power of love triumphs again!"

Erik and Sawyer gave disgusted looks at their cheesy comrade, but Macbeth just smiled. "I must say that this is a lot more fulfilling than our previous, evil objectives. Shadow's Essence is already the seventh Dark Guild we've eradicated this month, and it's only the second week."

"Yeah, this is really good! No dark activity has been present for a while besides these idiots! Maybe we should take a little vacation?" suggested Sorano.

The others all seemed pretty fond of the idea, but Jellal shook his head. "If anything, we need to increase our searches. No activity doesn't mean our work is complete; it means that Dark Guilds are getting better at hiding. We'll set up camp here and go west first thing in the morning."

His guild grumbled, but ever since losing to him in a battle when it was four against one (Erik, Sorano, Macbeth and Sawyer vs. Jellal), the former Balam Alliance members really couldn't bring themselves to disagree with the blue haired man.

* * *

Jellal sat quietly by the fire, hands crossed. Sawyer and Erik were being their usual rowdy selves as they pitched the tent. Richard was combing Sorano's hair, who was busy complaining about things no one else cared about, and Macbeth was dozing off against a tree.

Jellal couldn't help but smile. When he had first met them, back when he was suffering from amnesia, they all looked burdened. Even when they struck down the Allied Forces with smug looks on their faces, none of them ever seemed truly happy. There was always something deep in their eyes: a fear of the world. As a Dark Guild, they masked it well, but Jellal could always tell. Now, that burden had been lifted. It's not like they were exactly 24-7 happy-go-lucky people now, but they did seem finally at peace. And while Jellal was very proud of having brought these people out of the darkness, as was he proud of erasing many Dark Guilds, he still felt empty. He felt like he found his purpose in life, yet there was still a hole in his heart.

As he was contemplating, a certain pink-haired girl joined him, a box of sweets in her hand. "Cookie?" she offered.

Jellal took it without looking and bit into it listlessly. Meredy shoved a brownie into her mouth and pulled something out of her bag.

"I got the latest issue of Sorcerer Weekly while we were on our last gig. Wanna peek?"

Jellal shook his head and turned to look at her. "Aren't you a little...young to be looking at that?"

Meredy raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Oh, come on. Too young for what? It's not erotica, Jellal. Chill out."

He blushed slightly and returned his gaze to the fire. "No, that's not what I meant...well...actually, I understand that there are pictures of men in there...with less clothing than appropriate social structure dictates."

She gave him a weird look. "For your information, I'm 18. A legal adult. I think I can handle some shirtless people. And there's not just hot boys in here. This magazine's famous for the bikini models they manage to snap pics of. That section might be more up your alley," she said, flipping through the pages.

Through clenched teeth, he said, "I'll pass."

After a minute of awkward silence, Meredy closed the magazine and looked straight at him. "Jellal, you know you can tell me anything. You're like a big brother to me."

He gave her a glance, feigning ignorance.

She scooted closer. "Our guild's doing really well, and you've even got former members of the Balam Alliance fighting evil. We get pretty good money from the Council and I'd say our lives are pretty solid. So...what's up? Why are you such a friggin' buzzkill all the time?"

Jellal flinched a little at the harsh ending and sighed. "I'm not sure. Please don't misunderstand, Meredy; I'm very happy with all the good we're doing, especially with bringing the Oracion Seis to our side. I still feel like something's missing in my life, however."

Meredy's expression shifted from attentive to knowing. "Is it her?" she asked softly. "Is it Erza?"

Jellal froze. Just hearing the name made him tense. It was the name that reminded him why he was on this journey of redemption in the first place. It was the name of someone he had hurt so much, yet loved so much. She made him strong and weak at the same time.

He let out a quiet chuckle. "If it's not her, I don't know what else it could be," he muttered.

Meredy rubbed her chin. "Why don't you just go and visit?"

Jellal shuffled his boots. "Seeing my face can only bring her pain and unhappiness. Distancing myself is the best thing I can do to rid her of that. She's happiest with her friends at the guild, and I want her to stay that way-"

"But how do you know that? How do you know she's actually happy when you're not around?"

Jellal's heart felt heavy. He wanted to believe it. He really did, but his crimes were many. No woman would want a man who was so tarnished with bad deeds.

He took off his cloak and laid it on the ground, curling up on it. "We should get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll have to leave early and scan new territory."

Rolling her eyes at his blunt dismissal of her counseling session, she did the same. "Alright. But just think about it, Jellal. Please? Woman's intuition: I can't imagine her being happy without you."

He didn't go to sleep for an hour after hearing that.


	2. Magnolia

The next day, at exactly 5:00 in the morning, Jellal woke up and proceeded to interrupt his guild's peaceful snoozing.

It took him a while, especially when Richard unconsciously wrapped his strong arms around him in a death grip and began stroking his hair, mumbling about love.

* * *

After a quick breakfast, the group packed up their belongings and prepared to move out.

"So you're really against us taking a break, boss?" asked Erik gruffly, picking at his sharp teeth.

Jellal put his hood up. "I'm not against it, but I told you we have to get a move on. We need to pinpoint the other Dark Guilds before they get too far."

Sorano huffed. "At the rate we've been going, I wouldn't be surprised if there WERE no Dark Guilds left. Come on, Jellal. Just a short, stress-free couple of days is exactly what we need."

"And might I add that we would be more motivated and efficient if we were to get some rest?" Macbeth chimed in.

Jellal let out a small sigh, waging a small internal war in his mind. "You people obviously aren't going to let this go. Meredy, what do you think?"

The second-in-command grinned. "I think you know precisely what I want. We've been on the hunt for a full six months and not once have you offered us a vacation."

A slight pang of guilt resounded in Jellal's heart, and after thinking about it for a few more seconds, he put up his hands in defeat. "Alright, you win. We'll cease our work temporarily so that you all can...recharge."

"Yes! I want to go to a spa!" said Sorano.

"I'd like to visit my brother!" said Richard.

"I'm gonna go to this bangin' car convention in Hargeon," said Sawyer.

"I just want to enter a bookstore and stay there until they close. Maybe a little longer after that," said Macbeth.

Jellal frowned. "Okay...well, I doubt all that can be done in the same place."

"We can split up and meet back here in a few days. How does that sound?" suggested Meredy.

"Sweet! Finally, a break!" said the others, excited.

Jellal sighed, and he couldn't help but smile a little.

* * *

At the train station, the team all said their goodbyes and headed for their respective trains. Only Jellal and Meredy stuck around a while longer.

"So, where're you headed?" she asked, restraining her laughter.

Jellal averted his gaze, too embarrassed to say. "You know where..." he mumbled bitterly.

Meredy laughed and gave him a hug. "Alright. Be safe and don't do anything stupid."

Jellal forced a smile. "I could say the same for you. I know I'm protective of you, and at times I'm aware I can be a bit much, but it's all because I care for you."

Meredy broke the hug and stared fondly up at him. "I know, and I appreciate it. I really do mean it when I call you my brother. Oh, my train's about to leave. Okay, bye-bye now! Have fun!" she said as she waved.

Jellal held up a hand and watched her as she boarded the locomotive before looking up at the layout of the station.

The train to Magnolia was set to depart in two minutes, and Jellal realized that he had no idea where it was. Just as he was about to ask someone for directions, a familiar voice caused him to turn around, and he saw two men approaching him.

"No way. It's you again!" said the louder, pink-haired one.

Jellal managed a smile. "Hello, Natsu. You're looking well."

Natsu grinned and threw an arm around him. "You betcha! Just got done clammin' some trolls and now we're headed back to the guild!"

Jellal leaned sideways to avoid the flames spewing out of the Dragon Slayer's mouth. "I see. Well, I'm actually glad I found you. As it turns out, my destination happens to be the same as yours, so if you don't mind-"

"I get it! You wanna fight me, don'cha?" challenged Natsu, tightening his grip.

Jellal raised an eyebrow. "What? No, I was just going to ask-"

"Let go of him, you idiot. He's obviously going to Fairy Tail and he's trying to come with us," said Natsu's companion.

"What was that?!" yelled Natsu.

"Hey, man. It's good to see you," said Gray.

Jellal frowned. "Same. Erm...why are you taking off your shirt?" he asked, confused, as the ice mage began to lift his top.

"'Cause he's a frickin' pervert who always wants to show his flabby abs to anyone who'll lend a look," snickered Natsu.

Gray slammed his right fist into his left palm. "Say that again, Charcoal-Breath!" he snarled.

Natsu's hands lit up. "Are you asking for a public execution, Frosty-Nipples?"

Even during that time, the fire wizard never let go of Jellal, and his arm had unfortunately slid around his neck.

"N-Natsu-" he coughed.

Jellal wasn't physically weak by any means, but Natsu wasn't either, and the Guild Master found it difficult to wiggle out of his grasp.

Thankfully, Gray seemed to have some common sense left because he immediately put his hands down and cancelled his spell.

"Natsu, let him go," he sighed.

"Huh?" Natsu glanced over and noticed Jellal, whose face was gradually getting more and more red.

"Oh...oops."

Natsu removed his arm and Jellal leaned over, catching his breath.

Instead of apologizing, however, Natsu guffawed.

"Come on, Jells. You really think that you can challenge me to a fight when you can't take an arm lock?! That wasn't even a decimal of my power!"

"I wasn't challenging you..." was all that Jellal could manage.

Gray patted his back. "Allow me to apologize for my moron partner's idiocy and invite you to come along with us."

Jellal straightened up and tried to ignore Gray slipping his pants off. "Thank you."

* * *

In the train, Jellal stared constantly out the window.

Throughout his conquest in taking out Dark Guilds, he had learned the geography of the continent well. So well, in fact, that he knew how far all the towns were from each other.

He figured that it would take about two hours to reach Magnolia.

After about five minutes, he came to the conclusion that Natsu and Gray were not going to shut up, so he worked it out in his head to block them out.

An hour later, the two must have gotten bored of quarreling because he felt an aggressive tapping on his cheek.

Intensely resisting the urge to ask why on Earthland he was jabbing his face, Jellal turned. "Yes?"

"I forgot to ask. Why are you going to Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu.

Jellal pursed his lips. "Um...just...because. My guild wanted to take a break and I couldn't really think of anywhere else to go."

Gray chuckled. "Come on, dude. Natsu's brain is small, but even _he_ probably doesn't believe that."

Jellal blushed.

Natsu, on the other hand, scrunched up his face. "What's that supposed to mean? Believe what?"

Gray rolled his eyes and bit into his sandwich. "Never mind. All I'm saying is that I can think of a certain person who'll be happy to see you."

A spark of interest flashed in Jellal, but he tried not to seem too eager. "Does she...ever talk about me?" he asked.

Gray shrugged. "I'd say so."

Natsu dug his hands into his hair. "Wait, back up a few! What are you guys talking about?!" he asked, frustrated.

Jellal smiled to himself; he couldn't hear anything the two said after Gray's reply, and he dozed off.

* * *

The sudden lurch of the stopping train woke Jellal up.

"Finally..." Natsu squeaked weakly.

Jellal stared at him; he just noticed that the spiky-headed mage was dangling out of the window, drool sliding down his chin. "Natsu? Are...are you okay?" he asked, slightly confused.

Gray stood up. "That's why being a Dragon Slayer's got its cons. They get intense motion sickness. Heh, he'll be fine; let's just go."

After giving a worried yet skeptical glance at the struggling man, Jellal decided to take Gray's word for it and left. "W-was he like that for the whole ride?" he asked.

* * *

He had never seen the guild directly before, but it still had a familiar aura to it.

"Well, here we are! Welcome to Fairy Tail!" exclaimed Natsu.

Jellal immediately began to tense up, as if he just realized where he now was. "I never thought I'd ever be here..." he murmured.

Gray began unzipping his jacket. "Be prepared. We're definitely a quirky bunch and they'll probably be all over you."

Before Jellal could ask what he meant, Gray swung open the door. A second after it opened, an eruption of cheers and whoops nearly deafened the newcomer.

Geez, all this over a few people returning?

"So, how'd it go? Considering it was just you two together for a week, I'm surprised you both aren't covered in wounds!" said a middle-aged man smoking a pipe.

Natsu flexed. "That's because North Pole Dancer here was too scared to brawl with the best!"

The comment was met with a whack to the head.

"Simmer down, pyro. Master told us to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, so that's what I was trying to do."

Natsu growled. "Hit me one more time! I quad dare you!"

"Who's this? You guys brought a newcomer?" asked the smoking man's companion, another mid-aged man with short, navy hair.

The guild immediately silenced, not having noticed a stranger's presence until Macao pointed him out.

Natsu apparently seemed to have forgotten about Jellal as well because his eyes widened. "Oh, you remember our Mystogan poser from the Games? He's back!"

He grinned and seized Jellal's hood, tugging it down rather forcefully. "Don't be rude! Say hi!"

Jellal shyly raised a hand and managed a smile. "Hello."

Everyone was in awe for some reason, and Jellal frowned. "What's wrong? Why are they all staring at me like that?" he whispered to Gray.

"Probably because only a select few of us knew what Mystogan's face looked like," the now-naked man replied.

An awkward silence followed. Sure, a few whispers flew here and there, but it was definitely silent and it was definitely awkward.

Before Jellal could think of something to say to break the ungodly moment, a woman walked up to him carrying a barrel.

Jellal looked in it.

Was that...alcohol? In a barrel?

Cana took a swig from it and put it down like it was a totally normal thing to do and burped loudly. "So...you're Jellal, huh? Erza's boy toy?"

Jellal blushed madly. "What?"

Her body was really fine, and a bra was the only thing that served as a barrier to her large chest, but for some reason, Jellal wasn't really attracted to her. It was probably the insane smell of booze emitting from her barely covered form. Maybe it was also the fact that she was eyeing him up and down while giving a sly smile.

"Wooooow. If I'd known that Mystogan was this pretty, I would've tagged along on his missions. We could've done some serious damage together, and I'm not talkin' about fighting. Know what I mean?" she teased.

Most men would've probably been flattered, getting a compliment from such a voluptuous lady, but Jellal was just uncomfortable.

"Let him relax, Cana. The man just got here; he's probably dizzy from having an alcoholic woman all up on him," said Alzack.

Cana threw him a dirty look, but backed off nonetheless (but not before giving Jellal another suggestive look). The way she was looking at him...Jellal couldn't help but feel like he was in the nude.

Across the room, a white-haired woman cheerfully waved him over. Making his way across the hall and trying his best to ignore all the stares, Jellal took a seat at the bar.

"It's been a while, Jellal. Good to see you again! Can I get you anything to drink?" greeted Mira.

"No, thank you," he responded quietly.

Fairy Tail's bartender smiled sweetly and rested her elbows on the counter. "I never took you for the visiting type. What brings you here?"

Jellal met her eyes. "Um...I wanted to see...an old friend."

Mira raised her eyebrows. "You can hardly call her a friend after all you've been through."

Jellal's eyes widened. "She...she told you?"

If she wasn't so pretty and innocent looking, her constant smiling would have been creepy.

"We're both women who're around each other often. It's hard not to talk about that kind of stuff."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Can I be safe to assume that she also told you about what happened…before the Games…at the beach?"

Mira giggled. "Yep, yep. It's okay to express your feelings, you know. Especially when she feels the same way."

Jellal nodded slowly. "I wish I could have the same mentality, but it's better for her if I stay out of her life."

Mira winked and poured herself some juice. "If that's the case, then why'd you visit?" she asked playfully.

Jellal opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't think of anything to say; she got him. Then another thought hit him. "Um...where is she?"

He had been so caught up in the ruckus that he failed to notice that Erza herself wasn't even there.

"She's out on a job right now, but she'll be back soon. It's already been a few days since she left for it."

This was unexpected. Jellal hadn't prepared for a scenario in which he would have to wait for her to return.

"It'll probably be a day or two before she comes back. In the meantime, feel free to stay with one of the mages here."

Jellal furrowed his brow and turned around. Thankfully, not everyone was fixated on him anymore, but that was no longer his main concern.

He forgot that he actually didn't know too many Fairy Tail wizards. Erza and Natsu were the only ones he could safely say he was acquainted with, and he wasn't comfortable with the idea of rooming with either of them (for totally different reasons).

There was also Fairy Tail's second team he played a brief part in at the Grand Magic Games, consisting of himself, Laxus, Mira, Gajeel and Juvia, but they didn't exactly socialize that much. A few words were exchanged here and there for meals and when they were on the sidelines, and that wasn't really enough to make him friends with them.

Mira seemed to see through his worries, because she said, "I know it must be a little awkward to room with people you barely know, but we're all friendly around here. Let's see...my little brother, Elfman, has a place to himself. He'd probably be happy to have you."

She pointed to an extremely muscular and tall man with spiky white hair. Little brother? Wow, hardly.

Elfman must've heard them because he flexed and flashed a grin. "If you wanna room with me, you're gonna have to prove you're man enough! Let's wrestle, Blue!"

"Maybe later. Thank you, though," Jellal declined politely.

"What about Gajeel?" suggested the model.

The heavily studded Dragon Slayer was busy chewing on a rod of iron. Just the sound of teeth crunching through the object made Jellal inwardly cringe, and he looked at Mira with a bland look.

She nodded. "Okay, sorry. Hmmm...and it's probably not going to be a great idea to ask Juvia-"

"I WILL NEVER LIVE UNDER THE SAME ROOF WITH ANY MAN UNLESS IT IS MY DARLING!" Jellal heard her screech.

...He couldn't even bring himself to ask what the hell that was about.

Mira tapped her chin. "Well, I guess that just leaves Laxus. Hey, Laxus!"

"Yeah?"

Though not as big as Elfman, the blonde was easily the second largest person in the guild, and even as he made his way to them, he emitted a ridiculously powerful energy.

"You remember Jellal, don't you?" asked Mira.

Laxus gave him a look, and Jellal would've flinched if he didn't know the lightning mage was on his side. He hoped that this wasn't his normal expression because it was very intimidating.

"Yeah. You're the one who went insane while fighting Jura, right?"

Jellal pursed his lips and rested his chin on his hands. There was nothing he wanted to do more than activate Meteor and fly into an erupting volcano. "Yes. I...I'm the one who...did that."

Laxus chuckled and sat next to him. "It's all good, dude. Your hot, pink-haired teammate explained it all to us after we bitched at you."

Jellal stared. Normally, he hated it when men showed any sort of interest in Meredy (more than once, he had tried to convince her to change her clothing to something a little more modest, but she just claimed she enjoyed the attention), but he was too embarrassed at the moment to be mad. "Um...that's a relief," he said, unable to think of a better reply.

"Anyway, what's up?" asked Laxus, taking a sip out of his mug.

Jellal rubbed his chin. "Well, I'm here to meet a certain absent member of this guild and I need someplace to stay for a few days."

Laxus raised an eyebrow at Mira. "You suggested me?"

Mira quickly averted her gaze, blushing. "Sorry. I just thought that since you have a room to yourself-"

"No, I'm not mad, Strauss. Just askin' to make sure," he quickly intervened.

She instantly seemed relieved, although she was as red as a cherry.

Laxus downed the rest of his drink and got up. "Yeah, I suppose you can crash at my place for a few. I'll show you around."

Thanking Mira and doing his best to subtly take a path that distanced himself from Cana, Jellal followed him out of the guild.


	3. Men

The men's dorm building was rather large and it was actually decent looking despite being an old place.

"It's not much, but I call it home. Um...you want the sofa or the floor?" Laxus seemed kind of flustered as he asked the question; Jellal concluded that he didn't have people over often.

"The sofa will do," he said, putting his bag down.

Laxus fell back onto his futon and gave his guest another piercing look. After a painfully long ten seconds, he said, "So you and Titania, huh?"

Jellal blinked twice. "What?"

Laxus shrugged. "Like...what's the big deal with you guys? You two hookin' up or what?"

Jellal couldn't remember the last time he blushed so hard. "No. Nothing of the sort-"

"You know it's just us, right? Come on, man to man. Did you or did you not slam Erza?" Laxus said with a smirk.

Jellal had a sudden urge to cast Sema at his host.

"Truthfully, we've never been more than what we are now, and I think it's best it stays that way," Jellal replied.

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "Wow. That's the first time I've seen a dude reject a woman who's obviously attracted. Most of us would totally take advantage of the opportunity, especially when it's someone with an ass like Erza. Lemme tell you that Scarlet's never been much of a dater. For the longest time, I thought she wasn't attracted to humans in general. I think you're the only dude out there who can make her blush."

Jellal felt his heart ache slightly at those words, mixed with a pinch of pride. "R-really?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, man. She can be crazy sometimes, but she's a good girl overall and she deserves to be happy."

Hearing himself talk, Laxus made a disgusted expression. "God, Mira must've slipped something in my drink; sorry, I'm not usually such a sappy wuss."

Jellal managed a smile. "No, it's okay."

Another silence ensued, and Jellal decided to bring up a risky topic. Anything to break the uncomfortable moment.

"Speaking of Mirajane, I picked up some tension when you two were talking."

Laxus leered for a minute before rubbing his eyes with one hand. "What can I say? I've known her for a long time and she's real cute. Killer body, too. Dunno, I guess I'm somewhat attracted to her..."

Jellal adjusted his cloak. "Well, since you gave me advice on how to deal with Erza, I think it's only fair that I help you. Go for it."

Laxus scoffed. "You call that advice? I could've thought of that. Hell, Natsu probably thought of that before you did, Mr. Former Council Genius."

"The reason I say so is because I noticed the say she reacted when you...complimented my guild mate," said Jellal.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer thought for a second before his eyes widened. "Dammit. I said that in front of her, didn't I?"

Jellal offered a sympathetic smile. "Afraid so."

Laxus sighed. "Ohhhhhh…shit."

* * *

The two spent the rest of the day talking man to man.

Jellal was surprised to find out that Laxus was actually pretty similar to himself. Both were elite mages. Both were former villains. Both did things to hurt those closest to them. It certainly felt good to talk and let everything off of their chests.

By the end of the day, the two men made resolves: to try and forget about the past so that they could be with the ones they love.

After a certain point, however, Laxus seemed to grow tired of the emotional atmosphere they had created, so he suggested that they go back to the guild to look for a job to occupy their time. Jellal didn't really know what else to do with the many hours remaining in the day, so he agreed.

* * *

 _Lemme just say that I don't care too much for other FT couples besides Jerza, but I'm using the most popular and accepted ones just for the hell of it. :)_

 _Idk, pretty sure that Mira is the one most paired with Laxus..._

 _Also, I know this chapter was pretty short. Sorry, but the next chapters should be longer._


	4. The Job

Returning to the guild, Laxus went over to the request board and scanned it for a job that wouldn't take too long.

Jellal sat down on a vacant bench and looked at all the requests. It was interesting; he had never seen legit guild job requests before. In fact, the only jobs he took as a member of a guild were just on his own will.

As he was doing so, a vaguely familiar blonde approached him. "Hey, Jellal! Remember me?" she asked.

Jellal briefly studied her face before a name came to him. "You're...Lucy, right?"

He didn't remember ever having a full conservation with her before, but he did encounter her enough times to catch her name.

She grinned. "Yep! It's nice to see you again! How've you and your guild been?" she said, sitting across from him.

"Good. It's a lot of work, chasing down obscure organizations, but it's rewarding."

Lucy nodded. "I'll bet! Master's always telling us about all the Dark Guilds you guys have taken down. Is that why you're here? Taking a load off?"

Jellal's hands clamped down on his knees under the table.

How many times would he have to answer this question today? Oh, well. Might as well give at least one straightforward answer.

"I wanted to see Erza...been a while," he said quietly.

Lucy's face took on a giddy expression, like an excited teenager, causing Jellal to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh my gosh! It's finally happening, isn't it?"

The Guild Master blinked. "Excuse me?"

Lucy clapped her hands loudly. "What else, silly? You and Erza are finally gonna be together! This is so great!"

Jellal's eyes widened. "No, no. That's not what's happening. Does everyone here think that we're an item?"

Elfman chimed in loudly. "Only a man can tame Erza! Consider yourself worthy to live with me for five days maximum!"

"I'm fine, thank you," said Jellal, massaging his forehead and trying to dial down his gradually increasing irritation level.

The exasperated man sighed and leaned in. "Listen to me, please. Erza's a very important aspect of my life; out of all the people in the world, she's the one that means the most to me. However, I made a promise to myself that I would not ruin her. I've done too much wrong and she's much too pure for me."

He was legitimately trying to be serious, but Lucy apparently didn't hear a word he said because she was still stuck in her little adolescent fantasy of being a matchmaker.

"You two are so adorable together. I'll bet your kids will be even more adorable! Yeah, when can we expect little Jellals and Erzas running around?"

Jellal covered his mouth and closed his eyes. "Um...not anytime soon. We're not even close."

Thankfully, before Lucy could ask about how he wanted to spend their honeymoon or how he would propose, Laxus came over with a piece of paper. "Found one. This should be a piece of cake."

Without saying bye to Lucy, Jellal shot up, eager to get away from the prying Celestial mage.

* * *

Mira stared at the job request, then at the two men. "Really? Two S-Class level men for stopping a few Vulcans?" she asked skeptically.

Laxus put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. We need to kill time before his girlfriend gets back and this was the perfect balance of time and money."

The eldest Strauss looked at Jellal, who shrugged. Accepting the bizarre event unfolding before her, Mira signed the paper and handed it back.

"Alright, but this'll probably take no time all. I wouldn't be surprised if you came back today."

Laxus smiled and took the request. "It's alright. Anything to occupy the dullness of a Monday."

Right after the two men left, Mira began giggling to herself. A nearby Lucy stopped to see what was so funny. "What on earth are you laughing about?" she asked.

Mira wiped a tear from her eye. "The job they just left for is around Southern Village."

Lucy didn't get it. "So? Why, are you pranking them or something by sending them there?"

A mischievous glint appeared in the bartender's eyes. "Nope. It's about a minute away from where Erza's mission is."

* * *

The two got off of the train and made their way to the village.

Almost right away, an old man ran up to them. He looked stressed, and dark circles were under his eyes. "Oh, thank goodness! You're finally here!" he said, hugging them both.

Laxus pushed him away and fixed the crinkles on his shirt. "Whoa, whoa. First things first, old geezer. Calm down and tell us exactly where we can find the freaks responsible for all this."

The man nodded furiously. "Right! Sorry! You see, a few days ago, a group of Vulcans invaded our beloved village, taking hostages in return for our valuable strawberries."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Strawberries? You've gotta be kidding. How valuable can your damn fruit be to cause this much trouble?"

Jellal intervened; the man seemed like he was suffering enough even without his partner's attitude. "Of course we'll help. Just tell us where we can find these Vulcans."

The man pointed behind himself. "You'll see a large red building once you go further into the village. The hostages are being kept in there. It's being guarded by the more dominant Vulcans, so please beware."

Laxus waved a hand. "Don't worry, old man. We can handle it."

Making their way to said building, Laxus and Jellal were greeted by a large creature landing in front of them. It was at least ten feet tall, and it was very hulking in appearance; just by jumping, it was able to create a crater in the ground.

Laxus' fists crackled. "Hey, ugly! We're the ones tasked with taking you nuisances outta this village. Lemme guess. You're the gang leader, aren't you?"

The Vulcan scratched its head. Without wasting any more time, Laxus flew forward and drove his fist into the Vulcan's chest, sending it flying.

Jellal was surprised. For someone so large, Laxus moved deceptively fast. "Nice hit," he complimented.

Laxus smirked. "I've had better. Want a go?"

The Vulcan was already recovering and was about to charge, and Jellal didn't want to back down, so he summoned energy to his hands and fired a shining beam, totally overwhelming the creature.

Even the lightning mage was impressed. "Whoa. What'cha call that attack?"

Jellal analyzed the downed Vulcan. "Hm. It's not a spell that requires a verbal incantation. I suppose I could name it...Heavenly Beam or something."

Laxus scrunched up his face. "Pretty wimpy sounding for a man's spell. How about-"

A loud crashing sound behind them interrupted the two, causing them to whip around.

"That doesn't sound good. Let's go check it out," said Jellal.

Before Laxus could even agree, the Vulcan that they thought was defeated suddenly lunged and pinned the blonde to the floor.

Laxus gritted his teeth. Despite being one of the strongest men in the continent, even a fully grown alpha male Vulcan proved to be a fair match in terms of physical strength.

Jellal prepared to aid his comrade, but Laxus threw the Vulcan into the air and engulfed his body in his element.

"I'm alright! You go and check out the explosion over there. I'll handle this ass wipe."

Jellal carefully eyed the Vulcan, who was already coming back down posed for another attack. "If you're sure."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Seriously, just go! Someone probably needs help!" With that, Makarov's grandson shot into the air.

Nodding, Jellal activated his Meteor technique and went to the site marked by smoke coming from it.


	5. Run-In

_Hot damn. Can't believe it has been more than a year since I updated. All I can say is college and life got in the way. Seems like a decent enough excuse imo. Recently, I had an urge to continue the story, though. Hope you like it. :)_

 _I have no idea if I can promise more consistent updating, but I can certainly try. All depends on my education, but you know how it goes. The older you get, the more shiz you have to do :(_

* * *

Jellal skidded to a stop after reaching his destination and took a look around.

Upon seeing the area in front of him, his eyes widened. The ground before him was marked with an extremely large crater, as if some big rock had just crashed and disappeared. Judging by the thick smoke rising from the circumference of it, Jellal deduced that it was a relatively fresh crater; it could not have been older than a few minutes.

Instinctively, he raised his hands slightly and summoned magic to them. Looking around for any signs of danger, Jellal's ears perked when a familiar voice resounded rather loudly.

"THERE YOU ARE! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME THIS TIME, CRETIN!"

Jellal barely had enough time to turn around before a sharp impact to his stomach knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying.

Landing on the rough terrain in a less-than-glamorous way, he groaned and clutched his stomach; that was a rather solid strike. He had no time to recover, however, as whoever assaulted him immediately followed through and pinned him down.

Jellal felt a sword against his neck, and this is when he started to go into the mentality of wow-I-should-probably-start-fighting-back.

Before he could even think about what spell he was going to use, though, he felt the grip of his attacker's legs loosen, and the blade was lifted.

"J-Jellal?"

His vision came back into full focus, and he was able to pierce through the smoke enough to make out the face of the person.

His eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets, and the pain from where he was hit was somehow forgotten from the sheer shock.

"Erza…" he murmured.

As if fate was aware of their situation and was trying to tease them, conveniently, the smoke cleared out, leaving the two friends very visible to each other.

He was still handsome as ever, she couldn't help but muse. His blue hair was as lush as she remembered, with the strands being slightly less shaggy and a little more tamed than the last time she saw him; Meredy, in all her infinite social skill wisdom, probably cut his hair. Subtle, dark rings were starting to form under his eyes, no doubt from all the work he has been up to as well as his less-than-luxurious living conditions, but that didn't take away from the attractiveness of his brown irises.

Erza really never paid too much attention to men, no matter how handsome they were or no matter how much interest they showed towards her, but for some reason, Jellal could make her blush just by his mere presence.

His thoughts were amongst similar lines. Even though she was wearing her usual conservative armor, she was still incredibly beautiful. She seemed to be taking good care of herself, based on how her skin was glowing and how silky her hair looked.

Oh, her hair.

Erik and Sawyer often times found it odd how he thought about her hair more so than the other parts of female anatomy that most men drool over.

After staring into each other's eyes disbelievingly for a good minute, Erza seemed to come to her senses and realize what position she was in (straddling his knees) because her cheeks instantly shifted to a bright red color and she quickly scrambled off.

"Oh, goodness. I'm…terribly sorry about that. I…I mistook you for a Vulcan that I was fighting…" she apologized bashfully.

Jellal managed a weak smile and stood up as well, blushing as hard as she was.

"It's okay. Let's both be grateful that I wear armor as well."

He lifted his shirt a tad to reveal the plate of steel he wore underneath, which was noticeably dented.

Jellal honestly didn't expect that, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Impressive. You must work out quite a bit."

He immediately wanted to run away and hide after saying that, but Erza apparently was amused rather than embarrassed, although the blush she was wearing brightened.

"I can't deny that," she murmured, trying to hide her smile.

He was always awkward when it came to small talk, even when he was a kid.

Jellal pursed his lips, fiercely attempting to think about something…ANYTHING…that he could say.

Thankfully, Erza saved him by initiating another conversation topic.

"So…what brings you around these parts? I wouldn't imagine that there are many criminal guilds in an area as empty as Southern Village," she started.

Damn.

Jellal scratched the back of his neck; he wasn't prepared to answer this question.

"Erm…I…Meredy and the others convinced me to let them take a break. I guess I have been pushing them rather hard over the past few months," he said sheepishly.

Erza raised her eyebrows.

"Why did you choose to take your vacation here? I'm sure there were better places to do so…like maybe to your fiancé's place."

If a person could survive a dip in a lava pit, Jellal figured that this is what it would feel like.

The heat he was experiencing was worse than Natsu's magic.

Noticing that she was smirking a little, as if she was holding that remark in for a while (which she was), Jellal opted to answer calmly despite wanting to scream in protest.

"Ah. Ultear and Meredy warned me that you were too intelligent to fall for such a deception."

Erza giggled uncharacteristically high, causing Jellal's heart to skip a beat.

"To your credit, the way you acted was rather smooth. Unfortunately for you, you've never really been a good liar," she said with a hint of playfulness.

Jellal forced a smile.

"Um…sorry. I suppose I just panicked in the moment…"

Erza's smile faded, and she unintentionally stepped forward.

"Why?" she asked, barely audible.

Jellal's eyes met her gaze.

He felt a piece of his heart shatter when he saw her expression: a mixture of hurt and disappointment, and her eyes were glistening just the tiniest amount.

Jellal was ready to extend his hand to wipe away any possible tears.

"Erza…please-"

"Yo, Fernandes!"

The delicate, rising emotion of their moment was instantaneously demolished when the gruff voice pierced the air.

Both Jellal and Erza looked to the side to see Laxus approaching them, clothes moderately torn and hair disheveled.

"I got the job done. Mission complete. Thanks for the help, by the way," he said sarcastically, trying in vain to patch up his ripped collar.

"What have you been doing?" he asked, looking up from his shirt.

Before Jellal could answer, Laxus turned his head to his red-haired guild mate as if he just noticed her, and a sly smirk snuck its way onto his face.

"Oh."

Both Erza and Jellal glanced at each other before realizing what he was thinking, and both of them desperately tried to diffuse the situation, but to no avail.

Laxus, in his manly mind, was already convinced that they were busy making out or something.

Chuckling, he reached into his pocket.

"Geez. You two could've at least waited until you were indoors or something. Did'ja have to start screwing the moment you saw each other?"

Ignoring the flustered protests they were trying to provide him with, he threw a small pouch at Jellal, who caught it, confused.

"Your share of the job's reward…although I did all the heavy lifting," he elaborated to answer the question.

Jellal sighed, feeling incredibly out of his prime.

"Sorry. Thanks," was all he could muster.

Laxus grunted in response and turned back to Erza.

"You catchin' the train with us or are you gonna go later?" he asked her.

Erza sheathed her sword and tapped her chin.

"Well…I finished my task, but I was planning on going up to the nearby mountain to practice with some new weapons-"

"Good shit. Jellal, I'm assuming you're gonna stay with her, then?" he presumed.

Jellal's eyes widened, taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

Laxus gave up on trying to fix his tattered shirt and shrugged.

"What? I figured that you would take this chance to be alone with your girlfriend. You should be thanking me, bro. Up in the mountains? Talk about unlimited privacy," he said.

Erza turned her gaze down towards her feet, blushing intensely, but couldn't say anything.

It's not like she _wanted_ Jellal to leave or something. If anything, some alone time sounded kind of nice.

The blue-haired man, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Don't think I haven't noticed what you and the rest of your guild think about us," he muttered, irritated enough to show it (which rarely happens).

Laxus grinned impishly and gave a playful punch to Jellal's shoulder.

"Sure. And don't think that _you_ wanna leave with me when you could be with her," he whispered.

When a stunned Jellal couldn't think of anything to say in retaliation, Laxus winked and turned around to leave.

"Alright, have fun, you two. Try not to do too much damage. We already need to pay for two villages that Natsu and Gray screwed up."

And with that, the lightning mage was off, leaving the two childhood friends completely alone.

* * *

 _What do you call the opposite of a cock-blocker lol_


	6. Catch Up

_Don't forget to leave a review ;)_

 _Enjoy~_

* * *

Sunset was rapidly approaching as Erza and Jellal reached the mountain, and despite being near a village named after its southern location, it was still snowy.

"Hm. How unfortunate," said Erza, looking up to see the falling precipitation and catching a few snowflakes in her hand.

Jellal raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. He was rather well equipped to handle the current temperature, given his multi-layered uniform (which Meredy never failed to make fun of him for), but Erza was still dressed in her short-sleeved armor and skirt.

"You don't own any sort of thermal wear?" he asked.

Erza sighed gently. "Well, I do, but I'm afraid I didn't pack properly. My decision to train up here was an impulsive one, and I would love to change into my Flame Empress armor…if it weren't for the fact that it is currently being repaired-"

She caught her breath when she felt a sudden warmth over her body.

Turning her head, her heart immediately skipped a few beats when she saw that Jellal had already gotten behind her and was wrapping his jacket around her.

"Goodness, Erza. I really wish you wouldn't put yourself in these kinds of situations. To think that this is the second time I'm-"

Unconsciously, Erza had stopped walking, much too flustered to continue moving, and that caused Jellal to bump into her, caught off guard at her abrupt cease in motion.

Catching himself from toppling over by holding onto her shoulders, he took a moment to recalibrate himself before blinking.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Erza was silent for a moment, trying her hardest to stop her face from changing color. What she couldn't resist from happening, however, was a smile.

"Thank you, Jellal. You certainly know how to take care of a woman," she commented, her heart fluttering.

Jellal managed to smile back, which was something Erza really wish he did more.

He really should capitalize on his good looks more.

"Of course. Next time, though, I want you to remember to take care of yourself," he replied with a hint of sternness.

Erza nodded and buried her nose in the collar of his jacket, reveling in the fact that it belonged to him. It smelled like nature and subtle cologne, much to her pleasant surprise.

Despite his life on the road, no doubt being someone who didn't get to shower everyday due to his job, Jellal certainly knew how to keep his hygiene. Just a minor characteristic that enhanced her affection for him, she mused.

The two walked up the rest of the mountain in relative silence, half because of the harsh, loud wind and half because of their awkward relationship. Casual conversation didn't necessarily come too naturally to either of them.

By the time they made it up to a cave to use as their base, it was already close to nighttime, with the sun being far too down to provide enough light to train outside.

So, as a result, Erza and Jellal decided it would be wise to wait until morning and set up camp.

"Sit tight. I'll go find some firewood," said Jellal as they settled in the cavern.

Erza narrowed her eyes and frowned. "And let you go out there by yourself? At night? I think not. I'm going with you," she insisted.

The warrior mage moved to stand up, but a sharp pain on the upper portion of her left leg made headway and caused her to yelp and collapse.

Startled, Jellal rushed to her side.

"Erza! Are you okay?"

Gritting her teeth, Erza cursed in her mind for her ignorance. Earlier, when she was fighting the Vulcans, one of them had managed to land a particularly effective punch, almost shattering her leg bones and leaving a sizeable bruise. As someone who had been through much worse, Erza had been able to push through it and opt to forget about it for a time, but apparently the pain decided to resurface at that moment.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," she lied, attempting to stand up once more.

Jellal held her down softly and stuck out an arm sideways.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked.

Erza pursed her lips sheepishly and pointed hesitantly to the area just next to her thigh.

"Great. Out of all places, it's there," thought Jellal, keeping his composure.

A blue portal formed next to his outstretched hand and he reached into it, pulling out a first aid kid from it.

Erza raised an eyebrow.

"Wow. Spatial Magic?" she questioned, impressed.

As if Jellal didn't already possess an extensive enough list of magic he was proficient in. To mages, if that wasn't sexy, nothing was.

The blue-haired man shrugged and gave her a fond glance.

"You learn from the best," he replied smoothly.

Erza hated the sheer amount she blushed throughout the day. Add one more to that total.

Jellal opened the kit and pulled out a jar filled with an unappealing green liquid, holding it out to her.

"Don't put too much. It'll sting if you do," he instructed.

Erza gave him what she was intending as a bland look, but it came out as pouty and disappointed.

"You're not going to do it for me?"

Jellal responded with a somewhat desperate look.

"W-what?" was all he could sputter out.

Erza scooted back and stretched out her legs.

"Why not?" she replied simply.

Sunken in disbelief, Jellal felt frozen, with his hand holding the jar suspended in front of him in midair.

"Well…um…i-it could be…could be attributed to the general location…of the wound," he answered, voice shaking.

Erza smirked and simply lifted her skirt enough to reveal the wound.

Jellal immediately held his breath, incredibly unsure of what to do.

In his twenty-seven years of life, as expected of someone his age, Jellal had seen some skin in his day. Meredy and Ultear were rather comfortable changing in front of him, so he had seen them almost-nude more times than he cared to admit. Thankfully, since he had always seen them as sisters and not as potential lovers or anything intimate, it never tempted or aroused him.

But then, of course, there was that day at the water park. There were plenty of beautiful women running around in bikinis, but he was blind to all of them except for one specific red-haired female. Lo and behold, that one woman also happened to be the one he had accidently groped and accidently had to ride a slide with, with her on his lap, arms and legs wrapped tightly around him.

But something about this specific situation was making it infinitely more awkward.

Shaking any thought that leaned towards the realms of perversion out of his mind, Jellal decided to man up and indulge his friend.

Boldly, he dipped a finger into the jar.

Erza couldn't help but smirk wider, happy that she was under his care.

There was just something to that, especially as someone who had never dated.

"Forgive me if this makes you at all uncomfortable," said Jellal, holding his breath and shakily reaching his hand out.

He held her foot with his other hand to keep her leg steady, and finally, after what seemed like ages, his finger made contact with the bruise.

Erza let out a short gasp; despite it being her initiating the level up in boldness, she still wasn't necessarily prepared for her friend's hand touching her in a dangerously intimate spot.

Despite the initial shock, however, her surprise quickly turned into amusement and affection when she noticed that he was speeding up the process, employing two more fingers in order to cover more surface area. His face had taken a rather adorable expression of concentration and teetering anxiety.

When he was done, Erza could see him breath out a sigh of relief as he quickly recalled his hand and stood up.

"That should help. It's a powerful mixture I'm quite fond of," he said, returning the kit to his pocket dimension.

Erza stared down at the now glistening wound, somewhat sad that the intimate contact was over.

"Thank you," she murmured, staring up at him.

Jellal returned her gaze and beamed back.

"Of course."

Both of them were so absorbed in each other's eyes that neither could think to say anything for a good minute. The romantic tension was so thick that it probably could've made a Dragon Slayer sick.

That was…until Erza's hunger decided to sabotage the moment.

Eyes widening in horror, Erza desperately tried to cover up the sound by any means she could think of, including tensing her stomach and trying to use her hands to somehow block the sound. She silently cursed herself for forgetting that she hadn't eaten in a while.

Jellal chuckled, terrifying Erza even further.

Out of all the people to have her stomach growl in front of, it had to be him?!

"Hungry?" he asked, grinning.

Erza couldn't find the courage to look at him anymore.

"I…haven't eaten since breakfast. You could say I desire some sort of sustenance," she replied meekly, drawing circles with her finger on the ground.

Jellal nodded and opened another pocket dimension, this time colored green.

Erza watched in curiosity as he reached inside.

After searching around for a while, Jellal pulled out a large, steaming pot of something that smelled absolutely marvelous, as well as two spoons.

Erza's stomach immediately began to roar in anticipation, but she didn't even care that time around. Whatever that pot contained, she had no idea, but she did know that it was something she wanted to consume.

"Spatial magic is especially useful for this," Jellal commented, opening the pot and revealing the contents.

Erza leaned in to identify what was inside.

It was an extremely appetizing fusion of beef, onions, carrots, potatoes and stew. The liquid didn't look too watery, nor did it seem disgustingly thick. The meat and vegetables were fresh as well; they weren't soggy or hardened.

She looked up in wonderment as Jellal handed her one of the spoons.

"Y-you made this?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. We have to survive somehow out in the wild, don't we? Thankfully, I picked up a thing or two about the culinary arts during my…"

He paused, expression stiffening and eyebrows slanting.

"-my tenure as a solitary mage," he finished with difficulty, looking angry with himself.

Erza nodded understandingly. She knew what he was referring to, but she didn't want to extend the conversation on that topic.

To her, he was no longer that evil man. He was just Jellal.

Trying to lighten the mood, she patted his arm and dipped her spoon into the stew.

"Well, then, Chef Fernandes…shall we see if your cooking is as strong as your magic?" she teased.

Jellal attempted to restrain a smirk, but to no avail.

"Very well. I hope you enjoy it. Erm…I hope you don't have a problem sharing the pot. I'm afraid I don't have any bowls at the moment," he said, slightly embarrassed.

Erza's heart began to beat faster at the truth dawning upon her: she was about to share food with Jellal. And…they would be using the same bowl. All that saliva-

"No trouble whatsoever! We are adults, after all. Let's tackle this in a mature manner," she announced, much more high-pitched than she was intending.

She boldly took the first taste.

Erza felt her taste buds melting as the stew took her on a little mental journey. Never in her life had she ever tasted anything so genuine. The stew was rich and flavorful, with the ingredients complimenting each other rather nicely, but the main appeal of the experience was the fact that it was made by Jellal.

Jellal hesitantly took his first spoonful and glanced at Erza expectantly, hoping that she would give off a positive reaction.

Thankfully, he got his wish.

Despite neither of the two mages being particularly gluttonous, the entire pot was demolished without any trouble.

Erza yawned as Jellal opened the portal back up and stuck the pot inside after washing it with some melted snow, subtly appreciating the way his form-fitting sweater was highlighting his muscles. The warm meal was certainly taking its toll on her ability to stay awake despite her desire to stay up talking.

"I'm afraid I don't have any sleeping bags or mattresses stored in my pocket dimensions. Much apologies, but we're going to have to sleep on our clothes," said Jellal, kicking himself mentally for being so ill equipped.

Erza, to his relief, didn't seem too bothered by this.

"That's fine. I'm more than capable of spending the night without proper support," she said.

She stood up to remove her armor plates, leaving her in a tight, black shirt and her skirt.

Averting his gaze, Jellal sat down and rested his back against a wall of the cavern.

This made Erza realize that she still had his jacket, and as she expected, he was definitely not the type to ask for it back.

"Jellal, are you sure you're comfortable like that? Here, take this back," she offered, holding the jacket out.

Jellal held up a hand.

"Thank you, but it's okay. After all, if anyone should be used to sleeping in unfavorable conditions, it's the master of a traveling guild," he quipped, giving her one last smile before closing his eyes and turning his head the other way.

"Good night, Erza."

Erza huffed and pursed her lips, not at all satisfied at the way he was "punishing" himself. Totally a Jellal thing to do.

After arguing with herself for a few moments, however, she decided to take his word for it. He did have a good point. So, she laid down his jacket and curled up on it, smiling at how warm it was.

Erza legitimately tried to let the power of sleep overtake her, but something nagging at the back of her mind kept her awake.

She opened her eyes in frustration and turned to the source of her worries.

Sure enough, there sat Jellal, huddled up against the rocky wall in a position nobody would be insane enough to call comfortable. What really tugged at her heart, however, was the fact that he was shivering.

The sight was almost enough to make Erza cry, and she shook her head as she stood up and approached him.

"Jellal," she said softly, shaking his shoulder.

He stayed in his position, not bothering to open his eyes.

"I'm fine, Erza. It just takes me a little while to fall asleep," he murmured stubbornly.

Erza rolled her eyes.

"Wow. At least respect me enough to provide a partially believable lie," she commented, bringing the jacket over.

Despite his insistence on giving Erza all the comfort, he still cracked an eye open to see her spreading his article of clothing out in front of him.

She sat down on one side of it and patted the portion in front of her.

"I will not relax idly by while you are in clear, yet avoidable discomfort. Let's share it. There is more than enough room to fit two reasonable sized people," she suggested.

Jellal's eyes widened.

"What?! Erza, you don't want that," he countered, largely flustered.

Erza narrowed her eyes.

"Is it my current condition that is repelling you? I thought I smelled decent for someone who hasn't bathed in over a day," she thought aloud.

He hadn't even realized that she didn't shower in the last twenty-four hours. She still radiated a normal aura.

"No…of course it's not because of that. It's…"

Jellal couldn't believe what kind of situation he was being placed in. Him? Share a sleeping space with her?

They had done it when they were kids and were imprisoned in the Tower of Heaven, but that was different. Now, they were adults. Surely, it would not be the same.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but the look that Erza was shooting him was rather intimidating (with a hint of offense taken), so wordlessly, he got on his knees and slowly scooted over.

Jellal laid down on his side of the jacket and exhaled, silently relieved at the notable increase in comfort versus curling up against a jagged cave wall.

Satisfied, Erza smiled and imitated his position. Both of them were staring up at the roof, side by side.

"See? It's nice, isn't it?" she asked.

Jellal chuckled weakly and put his hands on top of his abdomen, lacing his hands together.

"Indeed. Thank you…for being comfortable enough to do this," he said.

Erza glanced at him.

"One of us had to initiate it," she whispered.

Jellal shivered from the sudden vocal shift, but he played it off and closed his eyes, attempting to fall asleep.

Erza stared at him, taking into account how peaceful he looked as he teetered on the borders of unconsciousness. The way his body rose and fell as he breathed. The way the rings under his eyes were lessened. The way he crossed his legs in a sophisticated manner.

She smiled at first, absorbing the sight of his attractive lashes and his masculine jawline, but something was eating away at her the more she gazed upon her friend. It was something that she had been wondering for a while, but never had the courage to talk to him about.

Taking a deep breath, she decided she had had enough. She was done waiting. A sudden wave of frustration was pooling in her heart, and she had to let it out. Now. His sleep be damned.

"Jellal."

The aforementioned man's eyes shot open and he turned his head to face her.

"Yes?" he answered.

Biting her lip, Erza made sure they were locked in deep eye contact before revealing what she wanted to say.

"W-where are we…in our relationship?"


End file.
